Mr. Money Gags (1957) User Reviews

Fun Famous Studios short

[llltdesq · 8/10 · 11 June 2015]

This is a short from the Tommy Tortoise and Moe Hare series produced by Paramount. There will be spoilers ahead:

This begins when Tommy Tortoise comes from Hicksville to New York and Moe Hare sees him putting money in a parking meter and takes him for the perfect mark. He starts out with the old "shell game", letting Tommy win the first round, doubling the bet and then attempting to cheat on the second round. Tommy manages, through a quirky outcome, to win the second round.

Moe's attempts to cheat Tommy move from the shell game to 8-ball, where Moe's attempt to cheat is again defeated by a quirky outcome. Dice are next, where Moe succeeds in cheating, but Tommy gets the money back when the dice literally prove to be "loaded".

Next Moe gives Tommy a tip on a horse race, Moe tries to cheat and the horse Tommy bets on still wins. Then Moe just tries to hold Tommy up with a gun, except that Tommy foils him again, causing Moe to run right into the arms of the police, earning Tommy a reward for catching Moe. The ending is cute.

This short is available on the Harveytoons-The Complete Collection DVD set and is well worth watching. Recommended.

Mr. Money Gags is a very amusing Famous cartoon in late-'50s UPA-style

[tavm · 7/10 · 24 March 2008]

This was one of the late Famous cartoons done in the style of the UPA-inspired limited animation look. Tommy Tortoise is driving from Hicksville to New York where he encounters Moe Hare as a cheating gambler who keeps trying, and failing, to swindle Mr. Tortoise out of his money. First Moe does the shell game, then 8-Ball, then dice, and finally, horse racing bet. There's a neat twist at the end. All I'll tell you is that the Tortoise does triumph here. Izzy Sparber is credited as director but most of the animated short's look is that of lead animator Al Eugster. I saw this highly amusing cartoon with the Harvey logo attached on YouTube as linked from Thad's Animation Blog.

The Shell Game

[boblipton · 6/10 · 9 January 2019]

When Tommy Tortoise arrives in Manhattan from Hicksville, Moe Hare sees a chance to take his two dollars using the old shell game.... then his eight dollars with a trick billiard ball.... then his sixteen dollars....

It's a very amusing series of gags in this Famous Studios Noveltoon, playing on the City Slicker vs. Country Bumpkin. During this period of rapidly declining budgets, Famous Studios couldn't spend much on artwork, and the blocky designs and simple coloring schemes show that poverty. However, the writing on this one is amusing enough to keep the cartoon going for its length.

Even so, I can't look at this thinking about the studio's glory days, when it was owned by the Fleischer Brothers, producing innovative cartoons. Despite the good writing, Famous had been on the downslide for ten years.